G10 Global understand that the Angry Birds Activity Park has several large play areas, themed swings and roundabouts and a giant dummy catapult creating a life-size version of the Angry Birds world. Paul Tomlinson, Park Manager at Sundown Adventureland explained: “We’re all tremendously excited about the opening of the Angry Birds Park. People of all ages seem to relate to the Angry Birds theme and we are thrilled to be bringing this digital phenomenon to life. The younger generation is living in a world where technology rules so using that to encourage activity must be a positive move.” As a father of two, George Kennedy, Managing Director at G10 Global agrees and believes the attempt to transform a digital game into an outdoor activity that encourages exercise should be met with nothing but support.
G10 Global first became fans of Rovio after hearing the inspirational story of how they battled bankruptcy and failed with 51 other titles before making a success of the Angry Birds app. Managing Director George Kennedy explained that he once used the story to motivate a group of young entrepreneurs at G10 Global and believes that Rovio are heading in the right direction to ensure the Angry Birds brand will succeed long-term. Speaking at the global launch in March 2012 at the Finnish Embassy in London, Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of Rovio revealed the motivation behind the new Theme Park. He explained: “There is a big problem with childhood obesity in Western countries with children spending a lot of time playing computer games and watching TV. We have discovered that we can make learning fun [referring to a new range of science textbooks released by the firm] so why not make exercise fun?”
With more Angry Birds activity parks expected to launch across the UK over the next 12 months, G10 Global will admire from a distance as they attempt to emulate Rovio and make the brands they represent as powerful and popular as possible. With more than 700 million downloads of the game resulting in 300 million minutes being spent playing it, Rovio has definitely done something right. George Kennedy of G10 Global believes the new theme parks will follow suit. He concluded: “By narrowing the gap between the digital world and reality, I believe Rovio has brought fresh life and a new exciting dimension to the Angry Birds brand – well done them.”
